Deadline Extended For Camp Fire Claims

The deadline to file a claim for losses from the Camp Fire and some other wildfires linked to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has been extended, and more people are likely to be eligible to file than they think.

The claims are part of the bankruptcy case against the utility for its suspected role in the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, as well as the 2017 wine country fires and the 2015 Butte Fire.

The deadline was supposed to be Oct. 21, but a judge decided to extend it through the end of December because so few of the people eligible to file claims had done so. PG&E agreed to the extensions.

That came as no surprise to Gerald Singleton, a California attorney representing thousands of those victims. From confusion about insurance status to changing deadlines, Singleton said he's seen many victims who thought they weren't eligible.

"There's tons of people (who haven't filed)," he said. "It's certainly been a long time since the fires, but we get people from even the 2017 fires who will say, 'I didn't know I was eligible.'"

Singleton said the new – and likely final – deadline is Dec. 31, unless the judge decides to extend it yet again.

"I would be very surprised if this isn't the last deadline extension," he said.

Here's a breakdown of some things to know before that deadline approaches:

You don't have to have

to lost your home

First off, claims aren't just for people who lost a home or belongings. They can be for things as small as smoke damage and as big as a death, Singleton said.

But these claims are separate from the utility's controversial power shutoffs last month.

"This is where you were a victim of one of the three major fire complexes," Singleton said.

You don't have to have

insurance – and having

insurance doesn't exclude you

Singleton said he's heard from people who thought they weren't eligible for claims because they did – or didn't – have insurance.

But the claims have nothing to do with that, he said.

"This is completely separate from insurance," Singleton said. "The whole idea of the suit is to make sure that everybody is made whole."

To be sure, Singleton said people with insurance might not be as likely to file a claim because they're already covered. But they can if they want to, and Singleton said it's important to also remember that insurance doesn't necessarily cover everything.

"Most people tend to have fairly good coverage for their home, they tend to be underinsured for their contents and they're massively underinsured if they have any kind of acreage at all," he said. "So you get kind of a cascading situation."

Renters can file claims, too

Similar to worries from uninsured people, Singleton said he hears from renters who think they're not eligible to file because they didn't own the homes they lost.

While they can't claim losses of real property like owners can, Singleton said renters can file for claims of personal property losses.

"They absolutely are (eligible)," he said, noting how many renters don't have insurance to cover the belongings they lost. "They're in a very tough situation following these fires."

You don't need an

attorney to file a claim

While Singleton said he recommends getting an attorney to help navigate the legal process, he said you don't have to have one to file a claim.

"In terms of signing up, you absolutely do not need an attorney," he said.

You can also file a claim by yourself but still get an attorney later, he said.

To file a claim, go to https://restructuring.primeclerk.com/pge/EPOC-Index.